A Red Letter Day: May 19, 2010

Anyone that guesses what this momentous photo represents will get a handmade gift of their choice. Contest ends tomorrow at 5pm. After that, the secret will be revealed.

Guest Post from Grandma Martha

What a wonderful visit! It encompassed both Mother’s Day and Sarah’s birthday which seemed very interrelated this year: her first Mother’s Day and her birthday which is always an opportunity for me to reflect on how her existence has shaped and transformed my life. And my first ‘Grandmother’s’ Day which celebrated my darling Maceo. What a wonderfully bright, alert, strong and engaging baby. The many photos on this blog demonstrate his personality. I shall very much miss our morning snuggles in bed, feeding him his cereal, taking walks with him and his mama, reading to him and all the jiggles and giggles along the way.

I am very impressed with the grace and confidence with which Sarah and Craig are managing parenthood. Maceo is one lucky baby to experience so much love seasoned with patience and common sense. What a beautiful family. I am so lucky to be part of the experience.

I’m so lucky that the next chapter will take place in Portland when Sarah, Craig and Maceo come to visit me in July. Something to look forward to!

Love, Grandma Martha

Happy Birthday to Me!

A Dairy Queen Waffle Sundae (newly featured on the menu) sounded like a good way to bring in my 35th year - after a Dim Sum lunch. It was good going down, but left me with a bit of an over-sweet stomach ache.

Worlds End Walking (and Sitting) Adventure

Some photos from a lovely walk through the World's End preserve in Hingham, MA.

Spending Time with Grandma

My mom arrived last Thursday in time to spend both Mother's Day and my birthday with us. What a special treat. The last time she was here, Maceo was just about 2 months old. Needless to say, he has changed a ton since then and she has loved being able to spend time with him now that he is blossoming into a super active, engaging and busy baby.

Grandma is the baby whisperer when it comes to baby food. While Maceo was pretty interested form the start, she has coached him into being a remarkably neat and efficient eater. From the moment she puts his bib on, he seems to know the program. She taps the spoon on the edge of the little bowl and he pops his mouth open like a little bird ready for the next bite. This little synchronized dance goes on from the first bite to the last. He has gone from boring rice cereal to seemingly tasty oat cereal and bananas. The oat cereal seems to be his favorite. If we used no discretion, I think he would eat until his tummy ruptured. I hope that when my mom leaves he will still maintain his fabulous skills in the eating department, although I fear that it has more to do with her being a skilled food conductor.

It has been wonderful to have another set of hands to help out during the day, especially since the broken washing machine saga continues (files that under COMPLAINING). Even without the obvious help with daily household chores, spending time with a baby and another person is a treat because often you don't get to observe as much when you are the primary care taker. So with Grandma holding him, reading to him, feeding him and generally keeping him happy, I have had the chance to study him and really see the ways that he is learning and growing.

Another very fun task that we accomplished was making a bunch of new summer pants for Maceo. Despite my proud post earlier about the "Jambo Pants", my mom guided me through a bit more sophisticated sewing process that rendered a much more professional product. While I initially resisted the ironing of seams and meticulous pinning, I was convinced of those extra steps in the the final product. Once we perfected our pattern, we turned the operation into a Ford Motor Companies inspired assembly line and did the cutting, ironing and pinning in shifts making the process MUCH faster. I don't have any photos of the little guy in the new and improved pants for this post, but no doubt they will be regularly featured in future posts as he has enough pants to wear a different version every day for a couple weeks.

The photos that accompany this post were taken at the Forest Hills Cemetery during an afternoon stroll. Despite being very enamoured of Craig's fancy camera, I truly have no idea how to use it and managed to change a bunch of settings (accidentally) which I fear screwed up the light. However, there are still some nice shots of Maceo and Grandma that are a testimony to the bond they have been developing.

Make Way for the Pirate, Matey

Or perhaps he looks more like a guy working out at Gold's Gym with his pewter rattle/dumbbell?

New Hampshire Part III: Relaxing with Uncle Niko

Maceo and Auntie Hana

I just found these photos from our week up in New Hampshire with the cousins - they were on another camera. More fun with Auntie Hana.

Some Nice Portraits

Visiting Great Grandma Peggy

Craig, Maceo and I took a road trip to Fort Lee, New Jersey the week before last to spend time with Great Grandma Peggy (Craig's mother's mother). As you can see from the photo, Maceo was VERY interested in getting to know his great grandmother. After some discussion about what a fitting name would be for Great Grandma, she decided on "Sadie". Maceo loved spending time in the warm yellow of Sadie's apartment.